Perfect From Afar
by Fantasy Cat
Summary: They were a perfect match for each other, from where Olivia stood. A mindless angsty relationship develops between Peter and Rachel while Olivia watches. Some implied P/O, but shippers should have their puking buckets at the ready.


**A Note to P/O Shippers:** please don't hate me for writing this. I am SO a P/O shipper myself! I thought it would be fun to write this but given my lack of fic muse, this was not easy to write at all and not my proudest work. Just fun speculation...but you might want to prepare yourself for some Peter/Rachel icky!

Since I promised Lolita Tides, I would dedicate my next fic to her…here you go, LT. Don't kill me please. And thanks for writing plot bunnies I am too lazy to write myself.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fringe. If I did, I would put a restraining order on Rachel and Tess to stay the hell away from Peter, lol.

* * *

Olivia would NEVER dare ask, what he saw in her. It was all too obvious to see.

_He_ was caring, respectful, and fun from the get go.

_She_ was optimistic, exciting, and a loving mother.

They were a perfect match for each other, from where Olivia stood.

There was no jealousy about the whole situation at all…awkwardness yes, but not jealously…only realism.

It became all too clear that Rachel saw things in Peter Bishop that Olivia would constantly squint at. Olivia hardly ever listened to his opinions…or his advice for that matter. Then again, how many times has Peter EVER stayed in the damn car whenever Olivia had to go pursue someone?

She doesn't compare herself to Rachel, because 'Olivia and Peter' were not fit…not in this life…not ever.

Often, she would shrug off her baby-sister's concerns that the dates with the young Bishop would not be approved. Yet Olivia smiled at every request. "You don't have to keep asking my permission," she would always say. "Go. Have a good night."

By the time Ella was tucked in at night and Rachel returned to the apartment, there were stories. Stories about Peter that not even Olivia herself knew. Perhaps her little sis was over-exaggerating them.

But the stories often fit the man's mold. Peter was the perfect gentleman…who could still show a girl a good time at the bars.

This was the VERY reason why Olivia and Peter would never work in a million years…aside from the fact that they were coworkers and some mistakes of the past were not worth repeating.

For all the moments she spent with Peter and the drinks she shared with him, Olivia knew that she was not the kind of woman that guys like Peter go for…someone who was a bit obsessed with work…someone who never cracks a smile in broad daylight…someone who would rather be alone all the time anyway.

The next day, after the nightly courtings between Rachel and Peter, often came the common over-protectiveness of the older sibling. It was Olivia's job to look out for well-being of Ella and Rachel after all…not her own. She often would humor herself though, when confronting Peter at work the next day, on how the dates with Rachel were going. Deep down Olivia would crack a smile seeing Peter quiver in nervousness under the intimidating stare of the protective older sister of the girl he was seeing.

Peter's fears of Olivia only intensified when he had to turn to Olivia to ask how he should approach the younger Dunham next. He's done all the basic stuff by now: flowers, candy, free drinks. The standard stuff a guy would often do.

~*~*~*~

"Well," said Olivia. "You've been dating my sister for quite some time. Are you going to get to the point of actually 'loving her'?"

Peter was stunned. "Wait…what? Do I have to? I mean, you wouldn't…"

"Stop assuming what I would think about you two." Olivia caught herself nearly snapping at Peter and tried to hold back her frustration at the progress of his romantic relationship with Rachel. "Rachel REALLY likes you. The question is…do you REALLY like her?"

"Liv, I don't think this is appropriate conversation in the lab."

Olivia tilted her head back and bit back a laugh.

"Look, knowing what my sister's been going through in her life…I'm going to tell you now, Peter. You can't hold this back or delay it. It's either one or the other, and you have to decide soon."

Peter became to shake nervously. "Liv, you know that's not how I…"

"If you love her, Peter, then how you do things should NOT matter at all." Olivia looked at Peter with absolute seriousness. "So think about it now and make your decision before she gets her heart broken again." Her last words were heavy with the thought of what went on with Rachel and Greg going through her mind.

At least Peter was ten times the man Greg is. She knew Peter would not disappoint, nor intend to hurt Rachel, but if he didn't make his move soon, then Rachel could descend into the same despair as before, and Olivia loved her sister too much to allow that to happen again.

But why…why was Peter so hesitant to make his next move?

Sometimes, Olivia wondered if she should've asked Peter if they…no, she thought. It was none of her business. Most likely they would have done it once or twice by now.

A few days later, on Rachel's next date…Rachel was overjoyed. Peter said he loved her.

Immediately Olivia became suspicious. Did Peter only say it because Olivia pressured him? Had it become too much pressure?

Or perhaps…they truly were in love with each other?

Before she knew it, there was talk by Rachel about what a wonderful dad Peter would be to Ella. Olivia herself could not deny that. She faked the idea to Rachel that having Peter as part of their family would be quite…creepy (especially given that Walter, whom Rachel had yet to be warned about, would have to be part of the "family" as well).

Deep down, Olivia thought that it wouldn't be so bad…to have someone she trusted like Peter, to be with a girl who truly needed him like Rachel.

It was meant to be.

~*~*~*~

"Can I ask you something, Agent Dunham?"

"You can call me Olivia, Astrid."

"Alright," Astrid replied. "Don't you find it a bit odd that you're pushing for Peter to get serious with your sister?"

Olivia laughed. "Nothing in this lab escapes you, does it?"

Astrid spoke in a sarcastic tone. "I am the 'all-knowing' eyes and ears of the lab. A small price to pay for hiring an assistant."

"I'm just looking out for her, Astrid. And Peter is a good man."

"I don't deny that at all."

"I know you don't. You were good with telling me how to deal with John. Tell me, Astrid…what could be better for Peter, or my sister?"

"I dunno Liv," the assistant replied. "I'm rather surprised that Peter would pursue any relationship outside of Walter right now."

"What do you mean 'right now'?"

Astrid sighed. "From my unintentional observations, Peter keeps getting a lot of these calls."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Phone calls?"

"Yup. Soon as his phone rings, he runs away into the office like a cockroach in daylight."

"You don't think it's another woman, do you?"

"Hell if I know," said Astrid. "But every time he's done with the call and comes back into the lab, he's sweating. Always sweating. I don't think that's a girl on the other end of the line. I think Peter is in some kind of financial trouble, but that is just me assuming."

"No, I think you're right, Astrid." Olivia was smart and she could easily gather a few clues as to whenever Peter was in some sort of trouble. She wasn't expecting his troubles to be lasting for this long, though. Perhaps, his problems with Big Eddie were far from over.

"I do remember Peter on the phone talking to a Tess or Tessa a while back, if you're looking for reasons to get Peter off Rachel quick..."

"No, Astrid, I'm not."

Astrid diverted her attention away from Olivia and as much into the microscope she was observing as humanly possible. "Okay, just letting you know. So, do you think they've…"

"No…not appropriate, Astrid!"

"Okay, sorry."

"Let's get back to these troubles Peter is having. If it's really serious, I don't want it to interfere with his relationship with Rachel. I just…I just don't want to see anyone get hurt."

"I know."

"Then what should I do?"

Astrid shrugged, "maybe get Peter to talk. If you trust him enough, he'll be honest with you."

"I don't think it will be easy, but I'll give it a shot," said Olivia. "I just can't imagine how Rachel would be able to handle it all, though."

~*~*~*~

Olivia had Peter cornered, alone and terrified, but her eyes were armed with the knowledge that Peter was hiding a few things from her again.

"What's going on, Peter?"

"What...other than me having relationship squabbles with your sister?"

"I know about the phone calls. You're in trouble again, aren't you?"

Peter raised his hands up innocently. "Relax, Liv. It's being taken care of."

"I know when you're lying, Peter. It's far from being taken care of."

"Okay then how about, 'it's none of your business so don't think about going FBI on this whole issue'?"

"This isn't about work, Peter! If you're in trouble, it's going to affect Rachel…and even Ella…just as much as it's affecting you."

"It's fine, Olivia."

"You told her you love her. She said she loved you back. She's already involved in your life now, Peter, and every little thing you do."

Peter didn't know what else to say to that.

"Please tell me that you said you love her because you meant it. I wasn't trying to put any pressure on you…"

"I know, Liv."

"So…did you?"

Olivia's eyes were pleading for the right response. If Peter didn't say yes…if Rachel had to go through any such turmoil like she herself had done with John…Olivia could never forgive herself for any of it.

"Yeah, Liv. I meant it."

A smile came to Olivia's face. "Good."

~*~*~*~

Rachel and Ella were now living in a small town just outside of Boston, and Peter would often visit the mother and daughter along with Olivia. Things seemed to be okay after a few weeks passing. There was less talk about the troubles Peter was in and more private talk between Olivia and Rachel about how serious things were getting with Peter…especially prominent in how well Peter and Ella were playing together. Ella did find him more exciting and fun than aunt Olivia could possibly be.

The strange thing was…when Olivia actually saw Peter and Rachel cuddling, kissing, making small talk…there was something very unsettling about it.

It had nothing to do with what Olivia was feeling but she was getting VERY suspicious…

…as if they were putting on an act in front of her.

Rachel would NEVER do that though. She loved Peter. When Peter talked about Rachel to Olivia, the same suspicious feelings would surface again.

It was then that Olivia realized, it was Peter. He was the one faking things. There was no doubt in Olivia's mind.

But why? Why did Peter had to put on a show for her? The more of these false intimate moments Olivia was witnessing, the hotter the anger in her was boiling.

~*~*~*~

Before it could finally boil over into a serious confrontation with Peter…it happened.

One night, hours after Peter and Olivia had just finished with a case, Rachel called her. On the other end, Olivia could hear the sobs and heartbreak of her younger sister.

Peter had broken up with her.

But Olivia couldn't quite figure out, through her sister's distress, the explanation. Something about Peter being in trouble with these guys, something about the Pattern interfering with the relationship. She remembered Rachel screaming "what the hell is this pattern bull he keeps talking about?!"

Olivia did her best to calm her sister down…and even more to not be angry herself.

"I was expecting too much from Peter," said Rachel through her sorrows. "I thought he was going to propose to me."

"Rachel, he was kind to you when he told you, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Rachel said shaking. "He said it would be best if he didn't see me anymore. Said it would be safer for all of us than…oh what if he's lying and it's another girl?!"

"I trust Peter with my life everyday, Rachel. Believe me, it's NOT another girl. Peter really cares about you."

Olivia struggled in vain to get through the rest of the night with her broken-hearted sister on the other end. She would use the most honest words possible to describe Peter's reasons behind his actions without harsh words or sugarcoating.

~*~*~*~

The next day in the lab, Olivia sat at her desk, less focused on her files…more focused on how she was going to talk to Peter about what happened.

Her mind was so lost, that she didn't even noticed Peter entering the small room.

"Don't talk," Peter said, causing Olivia to look up in shock. He waved his hands out in self-defense. "I can explain, if you let me…"

He paused for a moment as if waiting for a vengeful strike of anger by Olivia for hurting someone close to her. But nothing came.

"You told her about...your problems?"

Peter sighed. "Yeah, I did. It was more than just that though. All of this stuff with the Pattern…it's become a total bitch, Liv."

"Guess you know how I feel then. We're both pretty lucky to have even a few hours of life outside of this lab."

Peter was silent and then said, "it's something else, Liv. I think I may have underestimated your sister. I thought we could take this slow and if things weren't clicking with me and her, I could bail out calmly. But she was always getting six steps ahead of me...three steps ahead in the Fibonacci equation...with all that serious talk about settling down and getting married. Way to warn me your sister was crazy, Liv."

Olivia smirked. "She's not crazy, Peter. She's just emotional and fragile and I really thought there was something special going on between you two. I just wanted to make sure she was happy."

"I know."

"But if you weren't comfortable in the relationship…then I don't think you should've told her that you love her. But I know you didn't mean to hurt her. You and Rachel probably weren't seeing 'love' on the same scale".

"Oh, God. Tell me about it. I mean…Liv, I'm so sorry. I was just too much for me to deal with. I thought I…"

"I understand, Peter. You really cared about her."

"I still do…and I care about you, and um…how you have to help Rachel deal with all of this."

"She'll be okay, Peter."

Peter sighed and said "good."

Olivia smiled. "I REALLY thought she was your type."

"Trust me, Liv. If I ever have a type, I'll make sure to let you know. I go by intuition and my intuition wants me to get seriously drunk right now."

Before Peter turned to leave Olivia stopped him. "Hold on, Peter. I don't think you should go drinking by yourself. You might need a D.D."

"You mean you would come with me but you're not going to drink with me?" Peter asked in a slightly disappointed tone.

"Well, I'm not the fun type like my sister."

Olivia grabbed her coat and walked with Peter out of the office. "You can be fun, Liv…sometimes."

"Thanks, Peter. But I think I should be more concerned with you being able to come into work for the next case."

"Fine."

~*~*~*~

They went to the bar and Olivia watched as Peter downed the beers at his disposal…hoping to drown the regret and frustrations of his decision to break up with Rachel.

"You know, Walter was pissed at me," Peter said in his drunken haze fiddling with the ten shot glasses before him that he emptied.

"What for?" Olivia asked curiously.

"He was giving me shit when I was dating Rachel about my type of girls…(hic)…I told him to keep his old-timer mouth shut." Peter began to lean his head on Olivia's shoulder and her eyes were darting in all directions alarmingly. "He bop me on the head and kept ranting…and ranting…and ranting about some other girl other than Rachel I should be pining for."

Olivia chuckled. "I wonder whom Walter had in mind?"

Peter hiccupped and said "the hell if…(hic) I know."

Olivia cautiously helped Peter out of the bar before his entire self became too comfortable with her shoulder.

"Aw, are we leaving…you're no fun, Liv," Peter mumbled.

Olivia showed him into the passenger seat of her car. "I know," she said sarcatiscally. "The Pattern takes the fun out of human relationships, doesn't it?"

Peter didn't respond but instead giggled. It was during these moments that Olivia felt the worse about pushing Peter to stay…especially since unlike her, Peter had the choice to leave all of this misery behind and go live a normal life…even go and have a real relationship with a girl like Rachel.

Olivia was only good at being miserable, after all. Peter was good at being fun.

Yup, she DEFINITLY was NOT his type.

_**There you go! I hope you didn't puke too much! ;)**_


End file.
